Wes Fesler's first season as Ohio State head coach was rough. His 2–6–1 record was the worst inaugural season in 50 years, leaving a large need for improvement in Year 2.
One of the major downfalls to Ohio State's 1947 season was the lack of scoring by its offense. Heading into his second season, Fesler and his staff put an emphasis on execution and protection of the football.
The 1948 Buckeyes needed to show an uptick in offensive protection in order to have more success in marking games in the win column.
| The 1948 Buckeyes | |
|---|---|
| Record | 6–3 |
| B1G Record | 3–3, 4th |
| Coach | Wes Fesler (2nd year, 8–9–1) |
| Captain | David Templeton |
Games of Note
September 25th • Missouri • Ohio Stadium
A crowd of 57,042 went to The Horseshoe to watch the Buckeyes take on sacrificial lamb, Missouri.
In recent years, the lamb began to fight back before eventually losing. This wasn't one of those years.
Joe Whisler recorded Ohio State's first touchdown of the season but injured himself on the play. His replacement, Curly Morrison, filled in admirably and rushed for 68 yards and a score.
Ohio State's offense racked up 349 yards in the 21-7 victory to remain undefeated against the Tigers.
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEP. 25 | MISSOURI | OHIO STADIUM | W, 21–7 |
| OCT. 2 | USC | OHIO STADIUM | W, 20–0 |
| OCT. 9 | IOWA | OHIO STADIUM | L, 7–14 |
| OCT. 16 | INDIANA | MEMORIAL STADIUM | W, 17–0 |
| OCT. 23 | WISCONSIN | OHIO STADIUM | W, 34–32 |
| OCT. 30 | #9 NORTHWESTERN | DYCHE STADIUM | L, 7–21 |
| NOV. 6 | PITTSBURGH | OHIO STADIUM | W, 41–0 |
| NOV. 13 | ILLINOIS | MEMORIAL STADIUM | W, 34–7 |
| NOV. 20 | #1 MICHIGAN | OHIO STADIUM | L, 3–13 |
| 6–3, 184–94 |
October 2nd • USC • Ohio Stadium
The 32-0 beating USC gave Ohio State a year earlier lingered with Fesler and his charges. The loss was the largest for the Buckeyes in the series, leaving the team with plenty of motivation in 1948.
Ohio State benefited from the return of Whisler, back from the injury that knocked him out in the opener. A powerful runner, Whisler made his presence felt by scoring two of Ohio State's three touchdowns in the 20-0 victory.
Fesler's impressive victory and 2–0 start brought some optimism to the banks of the Olentangy River.
It didn't last long, however. Iowa visited Columbus and upset the No. 11 Buckeyes 14-7, the Hawkeyes' first win against Ohio State since 1928.
October 23rd • Wisconsin • Ohio Stadium
The Buckeyes were back home to take on Wisconsin a week after dispatching Indiana following touchdowns from Jimmy Clark and Whisler. After four games, Fesler's 1948 team already scored more points than his '47 squad.
Like Fesler, Wisconsin head coach Harry Stuhldreher also felt pressure to perform. In his 13th season with the Badgers, Stuhldreher carried a 44–58–6 career record into the matchup with Ohio State. With his team off to a 1–3 start, Stuhldreher knew he needed a victory against the Buckeyes.
The Badgers took a quick 12-0 lead over the host Buckeyes. It took a quarter, but Ohio State's offense found success through the air and erupted for 20 points in the second stanza. At halftime, the Buckeyes led 20-19.
Inspired by Stuhdreher's words, Wisconsin again led by 12 points in the third. Ohio State fought back but trailed 32-27 heading into the final quarter.
Not long into the fourth, Jerry Krall connected with Alex Verdova on a 4-yard touchdown pass. That proved to be enough for Ohio State to earn a much-needed 34-32 win. Pandel Savic, Krall and Verdova accounted for the five touchdown passes.
The game was Ohio State's 500th overall, and the program carried a 313–151–36 record.
| OPPONENT | STREAK | RECORD |
|---|---|---|
| MISSOURI | W2 | 7–0–1 |
| USC | W1 | 4–3 |
| IOWA | L1 | 6–5–2 |
| INDIANA | W1 | 18–9–3 |
| WISCONSIN | W1 | 10–6–2 |
| NORTHWESTERN | L1 | 16–9–1 |
| PITTSBURGH | W1 | 9–3–1 |
| ILLINOIS | W1 | 21–14–2 |
| MICHIGAN | L4 | 12–30–3 |
October 30th • #9 Northwestern • Dyche Stadium
Northwestern got revenge for the shocking loss they suffered the year prior in Columbus. The ninth-ranked Wildcats used their team speed to defeat Ohio State 21-7.
The next week was Ohio State's opportunity to exact revenge. Pittsburgh's lone win the year prior came against the Buckeyes but a second-straight victory did not come to fruition.
Fesler's group racked up 41 points – the most scored in the series to this point – on his former employer, and the Buckeyes used many JV players in the shutout victory.
November 13th • Illinois • Memorial Stadium
In recent years, Illinois proved to be a thorn in Ohio State's side by winning the last two contests by a combined score of 44-14. The Champaign crowd expected more of the same from Ray Eliot's team.
On a sunny and perfect day for football, Ohio State arguably played its best game of the season. Inspired by the death of athletic director Lynn St. John's wife, the Buckeyes crossed the goal line five times in a shocking 34-7 victory.
Close through three quarters Ohio State scored three times in the fourth and improved to 17–7 in the battle for the Illibuck.
November 20th • #1 Michigan • Ohio Stadium
In the season finale, No. 18 Ohio State hosted a Michigan team on a 22-game winning streak. The Wolverines were also the No. 1 team in the AP Poll and had won three-straight in the series by a cumulative score of 86-9.
The second-largest crowd in Ohio Stadium's 26-year history showed up to cheer on Fesler's squad. Ohio State's Jimmy Hague booted a 30-yard field goal to give the Buckeyes an early lead in the opening quarter.
Michigan answered with a three-play, 91-yard scoring drive at the mid-point of the second quarter. The Wolverines scored when Chuck Ortmann found end Harry Allis on a 44-yard touchdown strike.
Michigan put the game away when fullback Tom Peterson broke through the Buckeyes' line for a three-yard score.
Although Ohio State lost 13-3, it could be argued the home team outplayed the Wolverines in this game.
Ohio State's effort as described by The Cleveland Plain Dealer:
No flaming adjectives are necessary to show what a grand fight Ohio State made today. The figures attest to the superb morale of the Buckeye players and the splendid job of preparation by Coach Wesley Fesler and his staff.
In a game which Ohio was expected to lose by three or four touchdowns, Ohio gained 130 yards rushing and held Michigan to a scant 54 yards. In the first half, Michigan's gain from rushing was exactly zero.
[...]
Michigan is supposed to be a team with bewildering ball handling and backfield magic. It was anything but that today. Rather, Michigan looked like one of those punt-pass-prayer teams of 20 years ago. Even the myth of its supposed super speed is greatly exaggerated.
The Freedom Train passes by Ohio Stadium in 1948 / Ohio State University Archives
1948 Recap
- Ohio State remained undefeated against Missouri.
- The Buckeyes took a 4–3 series lead on USC after a 20-0 victory.
- Iowa defeated OSU for the first time since 1928.
- Ohio State overcame three 12-point deficits to defeat Wisconsin 34-32.
- Fesler beat Pittsburgh, his former team, 41-0. To that point, it was the largest margin of victory in the series.
- Ohio State dominated Illinois in a 34-7 rout.
- No. 1 Michigan beat the Buckeyes for the fourth-straight time. The Wolverines now lead the series 30–12–3.
- Ohio State finished the season unranked in the AP Poll.
- For consecutive years, nobody was named All-American.
- Gerry Krall and Jack Lininger were selected in the NFL Draft.
Fesler and his staff made great improvements during his second season. The players had a year to learn his system and adjust to his coaching style. Although the fans demanded perfection, they could see the effort put forth from both the players and coaches.
However, as much as the team improved, a win against Michigan was needed. Would 1949 be the year to end the Wolverines' four-game winning streak in the series?
